More Background on Stress

More Background on Stress

Once a vague and underdiagnosed ailment, stress, most doctors agree, represents a major health problem. The National Institute on Mental Health estimates that 70 to 80 percent of all doctor's visits are due to stress-related illnesses.

Most people tend to internalize stress, which works against natural biological processes. While the world has drastically accelerated and changed during the last few decades--a significant cause of stress in itself--our basic instincts have stayed intact for millenniums.

"Twenty thousand years ago, we evolved to meet the conditions of life on the African savanna," said Dr. Michael J. Norden, a psychiatrist at the University of Washington in Seattle, who published the first medical research account on the uses of the antidepressant Prozac. "When a Stone Age man confronted a saber-tooth tiger, his heart rate went up and his muscles tensed. Out bodies and brains remain virtually unchanged from our ancestors'. We can have that same stress response when the boss walks in, which is no longer appropriate to the situation.

The "fight-or-flight" response is triggered by the body's autonomic nervous system in times of peril. The brain releases stimulating stress hormones called cortisol and epinephrine (more commonly known as adrenaline). The heart quickens, blood pressure goes up, muscles contract and senses sharpen. Blood pumps to the organs most needed for the fight or a hard run in the opposite direction.

Fight-or-flight worked quite well for the difficult lives of prehistoric hunters. This mechanism concept is less applicable to modern psychological stress. There's often no physiological outlet for a stressful day.

Unless something is done about reducing it, such as following a regular exercise program or using relaxation techniques, there is a long-term toll on the mind and body.

Visit breathing.com for information that will help you master the "fight-or-flight" response.